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DEVELOPMENTS in the ruling Zanu-PF party over the past two weeks make for sad reading as the vanguard movement has been locked in mortal combat with cadres openly baying for each other’s blood. The run-up to the Youth League and Women’s League conferences has been peppered with allegations of vote-buying and other skullduggery as powerful politburo and central committee members sought to influence the elective outcomes of these wings so as to secure a soft landing at the party’s congress in December.

Reports of vote-buying flew thick and fast in the run up to the youth conference with the elections unresolved until the wee hours of Sunday, illustrating the combative nature of the poll and the extent to which the various factions sought to impose themselves on the youths.

In previous conferences for both the youth and women’s leagues, consensus ruled the day with the contentious posts of deputy secretary for youth and women’s affairs decided well in advance and winners endorsed at the actual conference. This was Zanu-PF’s unique way of doing things and showed the unity of purpose in the party and forestalled divisions which might be detrimental to the party.

But this time, both wings of the party have been divided with powerful politburo and central committee members reported to be lining up their preferred candidates, inviting the ire of the President and first secretary of the party, Cde Mugabe. In his keynote speech to the Youth League conference, President Mugabe launched a withering attack on Zanu-PF leaders who were busy scheming to land top party posts while failing to source donations for youths.

The President was especially livid because delegates were bussed late to the venue of the elective congress and that there was nothing to feed them. “Why, why, why?!” Cde Mugabe said.  “I will not accept that there is no money for buses? Where are the subscriptions going to? I just am not happy. The whole of our central committee has been sitting to plan these conferences on the basis that the financial side of the party, those who are responsible for raising the funds are doing so, only to be told that we don’t have even a cent.”

He continued: “There is no food; we cannot provide for the people, the central committee, what are we doing we members dzepamusorosoro?” To avert starvation, Cde Mugabe provided 1,000 tonnes of maize, dozens of cattle from his Norton farm and milk from Gushungo Dairy to rescue an embarrassing situation. The President described the starving of the youths as unacceptable and threatened to deal with central committee and politburo members, whom he described as inept, who were sabotaging the party.

In his address to the Women’s League conference on Thursday, Cde Mugabe urged women to shun those who use money to buy their votes ahead of the congress in December.

He said it was important for the different wings to work for the unity of the party to ensure success of the party’s programmes, citing the resounding victory in last year’s harmonised elections as an example of what can be achieved when members work in harmony. We hail the President’s wise counsel and urge party cadres to heed it.

The importance of unity within Zanu-PF cannot be overemphasised at this stage of the country’s economic revival efforts. Party members should be reminded of the dire consequences of factional fights and divisions and how they cost Zanu-PF dearly in the 2008 harmonised elections.

The Bhora mudondo/Ibhola egangeni campaign waged by some party cadres in cahoots with Dawn/Mavambo/Kusile party led by Simba Makoni saw Zanu-PF losing its parliamentary majority to the MDC-T whose leader Morgan Tsvangirai also narrowly edged Cde Mugabe in the presidential vote.

Although the party later won the run-off, the March 2008 fiasco could have sounded the death knell for Zanu-PF which by now could have gone the way of other liberation movements like UNIP of Zambia. So the various factions in the party might be thinking they are within their rights to buy their way to power but the long-term consequences might be too ghastly to contemplate.

It is crucial at this point to keep the eye on the ball. The people’s vote from July 2013 should not be taken for granted. The year 2018 might be another ball game altogether and the sooner the party gets its act together the better. Only through unity can Zanu-PF deliver on its electoral promises and consolidate its mandate. The people expect better from their leaders.